Sea Bastard are a sludge/doom band from the UK and this is their third album.
Oh, Sea Bastard, where have you been? It’s been a decade since their last release, and even longer since 2013’s colossal full length Scabrous. Something new from this superlative crew is long overdue. And here it is – unlooked for, unexpected, yet very welcome.
Cyclopean is a 76-minute behemoth of monstrous proportions. Sea Bastard have never been shy about their song lengths, but Cyclopean pushes them to the limit. This album contains the two longest songs that Sea Bastard have ever committed to tape, making Cyclopean their biggest release ever. All of which is to set the scene to say that this is not a record to be taken lightly, in any sense of the word. Sea Bastard are here to punish, and punish they do. However, the time taken to endure this monster is not wasted. Cyclopean spreads out with glacial intensity, filling its duration with murderous sludge doom that’s irresistibly dense and satisfying.
Cyclopean has been dragged up from the secret underwater vaults of the deepest, darkest ocean. Sea Bastard know their slooooow intimately, but it’s not all they’re capable of. The music builds to a maelstrom of fury when the band want it to, before settling once more into the murky waters of the merely storm-beaten. Amidst the mountainous underwater doom and caustic sludgy currents Cyclopean crafts dark oppressive atmospheres that are as lightless as the unexplored depths. Around this you’ll find expansive psychedelic weight and melody that’s been torn from the abyss. The songs are defined by irresistible tectonic movements riven by dynamic churning chaos. It’s great stuff, to be sure.
Cyclopean is a very welcome return from Sea Bastard. Hitting airless highs and crushing lows, Cyclopean is a massive doom ordeal that will test even the stoutest of bodies.
Very highly recommended indeed.
